How Does Galton Influence The Development Of Psychology

Sir Francis Galton (1869, 1883) quantified traits that were assumed to be correlated, and developed the first comprehensive test of intelligence. By the end of the 19th century, the foundation was laid for modern day intelligence testing (Wicket, 1998). In 1905, the French psychologist Alfred Binet published the first modern intelligence test to identify students who needed special help in coping with the school curriculum (Neiser, et al. 1996). Shortly thereafter in 1908 and 1911, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon published revisions of the Binet intelligence test (Wicket). The mental age concept was adopted to express the results in adequate units. The concept is based on an individual’s performance in comparison to the average performance of individuals in a specific chronological age group (Kaplin, & Saccuzzo).

Compare and contrast Wilhelm Wundt’s (1832-1920) and Edward Titchener’s (1867-1927) systems of Psychology.History of Psychology

Cohen, R. J., Swerdlik, M. E., & Sturman, E. D. (2013). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (8th Ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

"Tests that are not so categorized will tend to be viewed less positively, regardless of psychometric data, because they are, after all, not objective" (Meyer & Kurtz, 2006, p. 223). Because of the past, there is too much negativity surrounding the term, projective. The terminology both, "objective" and "projective" are not necessarily what they seem. "The term "objective" is a smokescreen for measures that can be just as subjective as anything else and the term "projective" is derived from untenable theoretical concepts that have continued to create confusion in the field for a long time" (Schultheiss, 2007, p. 197). Some other substantial problem is when the effects of a test cannot be duplicated by the same test more than one time. "If assessment psychologists did not derive overarching frameworks and terminologies for classifying psychological tests, those who use, study, or critique these tests would do it anyway. In this respect, it is better that an organizing framework be made explicit (and the logic underlying the framework spelled out in detail) than that multiple contrasting framework and labels emerge in isolation among different segments of the psychological community" (Bornstein, 2007, p. 205). The volume of the dilemmas above have all been a culmination of psychologists and psychiatrists in this community and

This vastly researched and thriving subfield of psychology is concerned with basic methods used to identify similarities and differences among individual’s personal characteristics and capacities. Assessment involves more than mere administration of tests i.e.: collection and integration of information attained from various sources like interviews, behavioural observations, reports, psychological tests and historical documents in order to attain a complete picture of a person’s state.

Brace, N. and Byford, J. (2012) Investigating Psychology, Oxford, Oxford University Press/Milton Keynes, The Open University

Wood, S. , & Wood, E. (1999). The Essential World of Psychology. Maine: Allyn & Bacon

Anderson, J.R. & Lebiere, C. (2003). The Newell Test for a theory of cognition. Behavioral and

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Langeda Bontemps, Department of Psychology, Longwood University, Farmville, VA 23909. Email: langeda.bontemps@live.longwood.edu

Francis Galton was know in psychology for his accomplishments in mental tests and his studies of genetics. Galton began by studying facial expressions of people from all ages. In 1884, he established an anthropometric laboratory for measurements of human form. These labs became the first psychometric clinics. People paid a fee to be examined and then was given a results card when they finished. He performed tests involving taste, touch and auditory. He discovered that as people age, they lose the ability to recognize high pitches. He performed these tests on men and women and showed that men have more powers of discrimination. He developed the tool of questionnaires and two forms of association tests. The first test involved the participant

Binet argued forcefully against the idea that intelligence is fixed or innate: "We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism (Lewontin, Rose, & Kamen, 1984)." However, those who translated his test into English tended to disagree, arguing that the test measured an innate and immutable, genetically inherited characteristic. After Binet's death in 1911, the Galtonian eugenicists assumed control, shifting the focus firmly toward genetic explanations by insisting that differences in intelligence between social classes and races were due to inherent genetic differences.

There comes a time when we all come across a specific test such as school tests, driving test, or even as simple as food tasting test. However, there is a difference between regular tests and testing’s when referring to psychological testing. There are several different psychological tests that many psychiatrists, psychologists, and school counselors use to determine certain abilities, however each of the tests are used for a specific purpose. It is vital for the individuals to contain high knowledge of the tests before applying it to others.

When it comes to objective tests, it is implied that they are accurate, precise, and resistant to biased influences. Scoring errors are another potential concern. In reviewing the projective test, it is determined by Meyer and Kurtz (2006) that one‘s personality will not shine through with force and clarity regardless of the medium, the presence of the client’s responses confuses the efforts to interpret the test scores, and that is what the psychologists are most interested in interpreting (Meyer & Kurtz, 2006)

Either way, Galton influenced researchers to consider taking a scientific focus on their theories of intelligence. One of the researchers Galton influenced was James McKeen Cattell who brought Galton’s ideas to the United States and proposed a series of 50 psychophysical tests (1890). As a matter of fact, Cattell’s psychophysical tests could later not be validated by his student, Clark Wissler (1901). Even theorists that have focused their theories of intelligence on Galton’s views have recognized that Galton had very simplistic views (e.g., Hunt, Frost, Lunneborg, 1973). All things considered, Galton’s controversial views of intelligence (which has since been carried down to present day) have had a profound impact on the area of intelligence.

Psychological tests or psychological assessments are an important asset in the field of psychology. These tests are designed to measure people’s characteristics which pertain to behavior. There are a variety of different types of tests that can be used to assess different types of behaviors. According to the specific behavior or behaviors being assessed, tests are